


Sick Days and Tea

by RegicidalRavens



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Café, Coffee Shop, College, F/M, Fluff, Haikyuu - Freeform, Oops, Punny Name, Tea, University, not Coffee, sick reader, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:51:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19327720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RegicidalRavens/pseuds/RegicidalRavens
Summary: The weather outside is shit, and to make matters even worse, you're probably sick. It becomes not so bad though when you have a run in with a good friend of yours, who seems persistent on making sure that you don't cough to death in your home.





	Sick Days and Tea

**Author's Note:**

> i fucking love akaashi keiji and he's not (always) the cold and aloof character all fics seem to show him as; this is my psa

“Augh…” (Y/n) sniffled at the brisk weather. “Maybe I should’ve taken a day off…”

Sneezing and burrowing her face deeper into the scarf, she stopped walking at the rich smell of fresh coffee being brewed. Looking up from the ground, she saw an unfamiliar cafe. Rather, she was in an unfamiliar area altogether.

 _‘Owl Be Yours?’_ she giggled at the name. Nonetheless, she was cold, possibly sick, probably late for class, and the delicious fragrance was tempting her all the more. Shrugging, she coughed when taking another breath of the cold, dry air. That was all it took to convince her to take shelter.

The warm air drew straight into her lungs as soon as she entered, and the scent from before only amplified. Peeling away her scarf, she looked around and found the place rather empty despite the very earthy atmosphere and its convenient location not to far from the university. Looking back, she saw that the skies had begun pouring quite literally the moment she stepped in.

The lonely barista across the counter perked up upon hearing the door opening. As bland as working the counter was, he thought it even worse to be stuck doing nothing for hours in the empty establishment. “Hello, may I have— (Y/n)!” She looked up when a familiar voice spoke her name in a casual manner, and it didn’t take long for her to find a familiar face to match with it.

“Akaashi-senpai!” she responded enthusiastically, although a short fit of coughs followed her words. “Are you working here?”

“Well, I’m wearing the apron, and I’m behind the counter. I think it’s safe to assume that I earn my share from this establishment.” The cafe was new to the neighborhood to begin with, and the grey skies only encouraged people to stay confined in their own homes. Akaashi was glad to have a friend make his shift at work a bit more bearable. “What can I fix you up with? That cold sure sounds nasty,” he continued, clearly worried about the heavy, raspy wheezing from her lungs.

She waved it off. “No worries. Nothing too bad. I’m sure with some rest and time it’ll go away soon enough.” Although, she wasn’t sure just how much time it would take. It had already been several days since the persistent cough found its way into her system. “Something, anything warm, I suppose? What coffee brews do you have?” She looked around the place, and her eyes landed on the drinks menu and scrolled down the list of unfamiliar drinks and prices.

“I don’t suggest that you be drinking coffee with a cold like that. Are you fine with tea?”

“Then yeah, just something warm I suppose.”

“I guess tea will do,” he murmured, standing from the stool behind the counter. Just as her hands reached around her bag to rummage for her wallet, he held out a hand to stop her movements. She opened her mouth in protest but he cut her off before any words could come out. “Don’t worry about it. This one’s on me. Let a senpai treat their kouhai once in awhile,” he reassured her, and she reluctantly moved her hands away as her eyes followed Akaashi’s movements.

No later than a few minutes, he pushed a small wooden tray towards her. Her line of sight followed the intricate swirls on the wood, and converged in the middle where a steaming hot mug awaited. “It’s nothing fancy. Just some lemon tea with honey. For your cold,” he called back. There was faint sounds of clattering as Akaashi cleaned up the work station and moved parts around. She noted the fresh lemon slice on the brim of the cup, and squinted down through the steam to notice shreds of lemon pulp sitting at the bottom. The globs of honey were nowhere to be seen; surely dissolved into the steaming water.

“This isn’t on the menu,” (Y/n) said, looking back up to confirm her statement.

“No, but you’re sick. And you should be drinking some warm honey lemon tea.”

He made an obvious point that she couldn’t argue with.Giving him a curt nod, she took the tray with both hands and made her way to a seat by the register. She inhaled deeply and blew on the hot liquid; she wasn’t going to make the same mistake of ingesting scalding fluids thrice in her lifetime. Her ears twitched at the sound of footsteps. (E/c) eyes glanced up from over the rim of the mug to spot Akaashi stepping around the barrier and head her way.

“Don’t you have work to be doing?” (Y/c) raised an eyebrow when she saw him pull out the chair opposite hers.

“And don’t you have a class to be getting to?”

Again, another good point that he made.Thinking over it for a bit, her eyes trailed over to the windows, and then down to her watch. “Screw it, I’m calling in sick today.”

Taking another sip from the mug, she didn’t expect to see Akaashi’s hand reaching towards her as the brim of the ceramic lowered in her vision. The back of his hand pressed against her forehead, some cool relief in contrast to her skin. “(Y/n), you really shouldn’t be outside right now…” He took note of the time on the wall clock. “My shift will be over soon. If you’d like, I’d be glad to walk you home as soon as I’m done.”

“No, no. I’ll be fine, really—“

“I’m sorry. Let me correct myself,” he continued. “I _will_ be walking you home as soon as my shift ends, okay?”

She shrugged and finally let out a sigh before tentatively nodding in approval. She lifted the mug up to her lips again. The warm liquid washed down her throat, taking the day’s stress and tensions along with it. “Is someone taking over after your shift, or do you just close up for the day…?”

As Akaashi moved back towards the counter, he paused. The silence from him was mildly concerning.

“Akaashi-senpai…?”

He began to silently move behind the counter, hiding behind the various display cases of import beans and small treats the cafe also sold. He was never a man of many words, but the strange behavior was off-putting. He seemed almost nervous as he would glance at the clock every few minutes, eyes darting towards the windows. It did seem that he was waiting for someone to arrive… perhaps the person after his shift?

“Akaashi-senpai? Is everything alright?”

He looked up towards you, seemingly forgotten that you were in the cafe as well. “Everything is fine. The next worker should be here soon, it’s just that…”

(Y/n) raised an eyebrow. With how he trailed off in the middle of his sentence, it seemed that he might have been having problems with the coworker in question. She opened her mouth to question him, but her questions all flew out the door as the sound of jingling filled the cafe, and the answer to all his distress had literally burst into the building.

“Hey, hey, hey! Akaashi-kun! Long time no see!”

She wasn’t sure whether to be reassured at the familiar voice, or mortified at the prospect of the newcomer being Akaashi’s replacement for the next shift. All her worries were confirmed as her eyes met Akaashi’s that seemed to be screaming for help. Again, she pointed at the figure that had entered, and squinted harder at Akaashi. His hand ran down his face, and his steel grey eyes darted between the other two before giving an affirmative nod.

“Oh my god.”

As if he hadn’t noticed her when he first entered, he looked at her and suddenly exclaimed. “Oh! Ohoho! (Y/n)-chan is here too!!”

He fluttered over to her table and restlessly floated around her. “Hey, Bokuto-senpai.”

Now she understood why Akaashi froze up when she inquired about his replacement for the next few hours. She heard rustling from the back room, and Akaashi reappeared, jacket and umbrella in hand. “Bokuto-san, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your shift? I’ve already clocked out. And I need to get to walking (Y/n) home.”

The older man nearly hooted in shock. “No fair! I just got here and I have to work, but you get to walk (Y/n)-chan home?!”

“Bokuto-san, please. She isn’t feeling very well and I wouldn’t want to prolong her stay outside in her current condition. Her fever is really burning her up.” As if to make a point, Akaashi put his hand against your forehead again, only to shake his head in dismay.

Bokuto grumbled, shuffling towards the back room to snatch up the apron assigned to him. He ran back out immediately, sure that he would catch a glimpse of Akaashi doing something. “You win this time, Akaashi-kun!” he pointed towards him accusingly. “(Y/n)-chan! If he tries doing anything weird, you just run all the way back here to me, got it???”

(Y/n) loved playing along with Bokuto’s antics, often at Akaashi’s expense, and gave him a confident thumbs up before striding out of the cafe with the wordless barista in tow. He grabbed onto her shoulder before she would walk out from under the awning of the cafe straight into the rain. “You’ll get drenched if you don’t watch it,” he stated matter of factly. The umbrella he held popped open, and he held it with his free hand as his other arm pulled her closer to him. “C’mon, get under. You need this a lot more than I do.”

Akaashi didn’t know if the reddening of her cheeks was from the fever, the cold of the rain, or if the boy was allowed to hope, because of him. He was about to set off and walk until she tugged on his sleeve, stopping him in his tracks. “It’s the other way, idiot,” she chuckled, thumb pointing down the opposite path.

“Right, uh, forgot about that.” His mind was on its way into the gutter, much like the water pouring from the sky.

“So, how did Bokuto-senpai end up working there too? Actually, how did he even get a job?” (Y/n) was genuinely concerned about management’s decision to let the adult child handle all the machines and routines there, let alone all by himself.

“Actually,” Akaashi began, laughing sheepishly, “Bokuto-san was the one who got me the job there, believe it or not,” he quickly added on when he saw her jaw dropped. “He’d been working there since it opened not too long ago, and I only mentioned in passing that I was looking to do part-time somewhere when he put in a good word for me there.”

“And… you’re sure that he actually does work there?”

He pondered for a moment. “I think so. I’d say so at least, surprisingly.”

They laughed, knowing that if Bokuto were there with them to hear those words being said, he would surely whine and cry at them.

The rest of the walk back to her place was spent mostly in silence. The rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain on the umbrella was comforting. Despite Akaashi’s long and athletic legs that would have otherwise had no problem leaving her in the dust (or rather, the rain), he kept pace under the umbrella with her, each step lining up. Around the neighborhood there were kids yelling and squealing, splashing without a care in the rain.

They arrived at (Y/n)’s place, and Akaashi caught her elbow as she tripped on the second step, saving her from face planting into the wall. “Wow that fever is really getting to me, huh?” He snickered, and she nearly shrieked as his arms went around her waist and under her legs to sweep her off her feet. “No more tripping on the stairs.”

Akaashi struggled a bit with fishing the keys out of her pocket, which only worsened the blush on her face when his hand brushed against her butt. After a few more seconds of fumbling, he finally had the door unlocked and twisted the handle to let himself into the complex. He kicked his shoes off at the foyer before stepping onto the hardwood flooring. It didn’t take long to locate her room, where he soon entered to deposit her onto the bed. “Make sure that you take a shower, but otherwise just get some rest. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Before (Y/n) even had the chance to respond, he was already on his way to the kitchen.

She had already missed class, was behind on assignments, and now Akaashi had taken it upon himself to look after her. It wouldn’t hurt to rinse down in the bathroom and take a quick nap while he was extending his hospitality.

__________

“(Y/n)?”

Akaashi cracked the bedroom door open and heard the sound of running water. It seemed that she was still showering… although she really was taking an unusually long time. His eyes landed on the bathroom door, and he wavered with uncertainty. “(Y/n)??” he tried again, yet to no avail. The floorboards groaned slightly under his weight as he crossed the room in quick strides. This time, he knocked the bathroom door to accompany his voice. “(Y/n)? Are you okay in there?” Still, no response.

It was at this point in time that Akaashi was forced between two options. Option A: he could turn around and return to the kitchen, and continue hoping in hopes that (Y/n) was truly alright in the bathroom, even with no response. Or Option B: he could risk being labelled a pervert and peek into the bathroom just to make sure that nothing had happened to her. Only to check if she was fine, no dirty thoughts at all. Absolutely none.

He took a deep breath and reached for the handle. It was his last chance to turn back, and yet his hand chose to twist the knob. The hinges creaked only in the slightest as he pushed the door. “(Y/n), I’m coming in, okay?” Even as he was opening the door, there was no response which alarmed him even further. Steam rose up out of the opening, which obscured most of what was in the bathroom. Despite the visual handicap, Akaashi stepped in with one hand covering his eyes, only peeking through the slight gaps between his fingers to make sure he didn’t slip on anything. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. His eyes darted around what parts of the room he could actually see. Some of the fog cleared up and he saw (Y/n)’s figure slumped against the wall on the shower floor, water from the shower head still drizzling over her.

Forgetting about covering his eyes, Akaashi rushed over to her and twisted the shower knob off. It was only when he looked down at her again that his face turned red, and he tried his hardest to look anywhere but at her very naked form. He remembered seeing the towel by where her clothes were discarded, so he looked around and quickly snatched it. As he leaned over (Y/n) to throw the towel over her form, he had to remind himself over and over again. “I’m just taking care of a sick friend. This isn’t perverted at all. Not at all. Absolutely nothing sexy about it. Just taking care of her.”

Like before, he tucked his arms under her legs and waist. Except this time, shudders jolted up his spine when his hands felt the _bare_ skin against his. “Not perverted at all. I’m not a pervert. I’m just taking care of a friend. I’m not being perverted…”

But what Akaashi did notice, was that her skin was burning hot. Although dripping wet, he laid her down on the bedsheets, unsure of where to touch or how to adjust the way she was laying. Ultimately, he decided to leave the towel and just pull the blankets up over to keep everything out of sight and hopefully out of his mind. He busied himself, running out to make sure that the porridge hadn’t burned, and came running back in with a cold cloth, freshly moistened to draw some of the heat from (Y/n)’s body.

Of course, it was just his luck that (Y/n) stirred right then and there. One eye squinted open, unwillingly to let in the bright artificial lighting, and then the other one followed suit. They both adjusted before landing on Akaashi, who stood awkwardly fidgeting at the bedside. She groaned, her body unwilling to listen as she tried to sit up on the mattress. The sheets that were covering her draped in on itself. Instantly, Akaashi whipped around, the blush on his face reigniting.

“I, uhh… you… you were collapsed in the shower—I didn’t see anything. Well, I mean—I tried not to—“

She threw herself into a fit of laughter at seeing Akaashi so awkward and timid, although she was cut off by the pain surging through her head.

“I—I’ll get you some of the porridge. And maybe brew up some more honey lemon tea,” he murmured, shuffling out of the room and making sure that the door shut with a click. As soon as he left, (Y/n) adjusted the fabrics around her; she kicked off the blanket to rewrap the towel around her chest and tighten it before settling back down comfortably. He was gone for awhile, but a light knocking came from the door soon enough. “I’m clothed!”

The door creaked open, and Akaashi immediately frowned at (Y/n)’s choice of apparel.

“(Y/n), that towel hardly qualifies as clothing.”

“Well, I think it’s sufficient enough. After all, you can’t see any parts, right?”

“…I suppose so,” he sighed. “It’s not anything fancy, but just some porridge so that you have something in your system,” he gestured towards the tray of food he set down on her bedside. “There’s some medicine here too, so please make sure you take that _after_ eating your food.” he said pointedly. “I’ll go start on that tea.”

Akaashi left the room once again. (Y/n) snatched up the porridge and gulped it down quickly. She sat there, content as the warmth of the food spread throughout her belly. Of course, she didn’t forget to toss the medicine into her mouth as well, lest she be scolded by Akaashi.

He returned shortly, mug in hand. He pulled up a chair to the bedside and handed the cup to her.

“Heh, maybe I should start taking more sick days if it means that you’ll make me tea and take care of me the whole time.”

“(Y/n), please make sure to take care of yourself. I don’t think it would be all that great for you to take so many days off,” he sweat dropped at her words. Although truthfully, he didn’t mind at all the idea of having to look after her every time she caught something. “But if you’re ever sick again, I’ll come running to take care of you if you call for me.”

“Couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”

“Maybe one day I’ll be upgraded to ‘boyfriend’,” he mumbled softly under his breath.

Her eyes darted to his, and he quickly averted his own, taking sudden interest in the paint of the walls. “What was that? I didn’t quite catch what you said, Keiji.”

“No, it was nothing. I was just—“ and he paused. Slowly, he turned to face her. He narrowed his gaze, hard in thought, and his eyelids popped back open as he finished processing what she had said. “Did you just call me by my name?” He looked at her incredulously, fingers no longer fiddling in his lap.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind after all. Just seemed like a good idea to call you by your name if you’re gonna be my boyfriend and all, you know?” She took a sip, her image peaceful and refined as she gave him a cheeky smile. Truth be told, her heart was racing, and she was praying to whatever higher power above that Akaashi wouldn’t be able to hear the thumping resonating from within her chest.

It took him moments longer before responding, and the extended silence seemingly multiplied the ever quick beating of her heart. “I think I like that sound of that. If you don’t mind, that is.”

“Keiji, you dipshit. I _literally_ just asked you out.”


End file.
